Let’s go fishing

The weather forecast is great and the opening of trout fishing season Saturday at 6 a.m. should go off without hesitation.

This from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP):

Since mid-February, approximately 376,000 trout have been released into over 100 lakes and ponds and 200 rivers and streams throughout Connecticut and are now awaiting the state’s many anglers. DEEP’s spring trout stocking effort will continue through the end of May and when completed, DEEP expects to have stocked over 600,000 catchable size trout.

A DEEP spokesman said that the warmer weather has caused trout to bunch up in pools in low-water areas, but that the presence of anglers this weekend should break up those masses. Also, the DEEP says that the trout stocked this year may be larger than in recent years due to the weather and warm temps at the hatcheries.

While precise stocking totals and locations will not be available for some time, the DEP says that overall the same distribution patterns will be used this year that were used in 2011.

Here is a breakdown of the stocking down in 2011 by category of fishery:

Here is a complete listing of trout stocked in the major areas and the percentage of the overall total: